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100 Years of Healthcare: What's the Biggest Change?

the MPR take:

In the past 100 years, social and technological changes have drastically changed the way in which patients are treated in hospitals for the better. Until the late 1960s, hospitals were largely segregated by race and often had inadequate facilities for non-white patients. Religious groups also started their own independent hospitals so that dietary restrictions could be met by staff and patients alike. The length of stay for recovery from procedures has declined substantially thanks to technological advances that have also allowed for an increase in outpatient surgeries. Shorter hospital stays also benefit patient health because it limits potential exposure to germs and possible medical errors. The emergence of the nurse practitioner has also lifted a great deal of burden from the responsibilities of doctors like prescribing medications, diagnosing diseases, and initiating treatment. While smoking was once a common practice in areas of hospitals, about 50% of healthcare facilities have smoking bans on the entire facility campus. Lastly, clinicians are more open regarding diagnosis and treatment for shared decision-making to empower the patient.

100 Years of Healthcare: What's the Biggest Change?

Experts weigh in on the biggest trends that have emerged during the past century. Patients today are far more empowered than they were just 25 years ago. In years past, the hospital experience included lengthy stays, severe blind spots in prevention and a lack of patient respect, according to medical historians and health care professionals.